Head-to-head comparison
Georgia Highlands College vs Athens Technical College: which has better ROI?
Option A Rome, GA
Georgia Highlands College
- Net price / year
- $6,928
- Earnings, 10 years
- $43,184
- Payback
- No payback
Option B Athens, GA
Athens Technical College
- Net price / year
- $6,949
- Earnings, 10 years
- $35,951
- Payback
- No payback
Neither clears its cost on institution-wide earnings, but Georgia Highlands College comes closer — median earnings $43,184 against a $13,856 total, vs $35,951 at Athens Technical College. (Scorecard, 2026 · our math.)
| Measure | Georgia Highlands College | Athens Technical College |
|---|---|---|
| Net price / yr | $6,928 | $6,949 |
| Total net cost | $13,856 | $27,796 |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs | $43,184 | $35,951 |
| Median debt | $12,000 | — |
| Payback | — | — |
| 20-year net return | -$117,376 | -$275,976 |
College Scorecard (2026), institution-level · payback and returns are our math. Figures blend all majors.
The short answer
Which is cheaper, Georgia Highlands College or Athens Technical College?
Georgia Highlands College, at $6,928 a year after aid versus $6,949 — a gap of $21 a year, or $13,940 across the full degree. These are net prices after grants and scholarships, not sticker prices, so they reflect what an aided student pays.
The short answer
Do Georgia Highlands College or Athens Technical College graduates earn more?
Georgia Highlands College graduates report a median $43,184 ten years after entry, $7,233 more than the $35,951 at Athens Technical College. Both are institution-wide medians from federal tax records, so a high-paying major at the lower school can beat the average at the higher one.
The short answer
Which graduates more of its students?
51% of students finish at Athens Technical College, against 21% at Georgia Highlands College. Completion matters to the ROI arithmetic because a degree that is never finished still carries its cost and its debt, but earns none of the graduate premium above the $48,360 high-school baseline.